Harbor Creek's boys basketball coach Dolak resigns

Jason Dolak met with the entire Harbor Creek boys basketball program on Thursday afternoon to break the toughest news he's had to tell the Huskies in his coaching career.

After five solid seasons, the head coach said his goodbyes as he resigned, with future plans taking him out of Erie. Dolak is set to get married this summer and move to Pittsburgh.

"It's really tough because I spent so much time making decisions every day as a coach and as a teacher and you make the tough decisions a lot of the time selflessly," Dolak said. "You are always looking out for what's best for the program and what's best for the kids and the people around you. This time, I had to look at what's best for me and what's coming down the line with my future.

"I'm looking to build a family and move forward in that direction. It's a bittersweet move with how much I care about the players and everyone at Harbor Creek."

Dolak, 32, is looking to continue his teaching and coaching careers in Pittsburgh once he makes the move. Dolak spent five years as the Huskies' head coach, compiling a record of 51-60 and taking Harbor Creek to the playoffs during the 2011-12 season.

"I've had an absolute blast at Harbor Creek and it was tough to tell the guys and I was getting choked up in front of everyone," Dolak said. "I'm really proud of what we've done over the past five years in building a solid foundation. I think the future is bright, and the whole coaching staff worked hard to make Harbor Creek to be a consistent winner."

Harbor Creek will begin the search for a new coach immediately.

TOM REISENWEBER can be reached at 870-1707 or by e-mail. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNreisenweber. Read the Varsity blog at GoErie.com/blogs/varsity and post comments.